Favourite Team

Currently Managing

Chicharito actually worked better as a Complete Forward for me than in a front double, although I did eventually switch it up to accomodate Volland in a Defensive Forward role alongside.
Mehmedi has shone so far this season as a rather versatile player, filling in at right-back last game and doing a good job. Same can be said for Man of the Match Wendell who was deployed as a left winger. Should definitely be a fun year!

Looking to buy a new laptop, but sadly budget is limited.
I tend to load a fair few leagues and players (about 15 and 60,000 respectively) but never use the 3D Match Engine. Gotten too used to the 2D Classic
Does anyone have an idea of the minimum recommended specs to play at this level without too much bother?
Would be much appreciated, thanks

From what I've heard, it sounds like I'm the only person looking forward to a Bayer Leverkusen save next year! Despite Javier Hernandez being the sole reason I ever took a second look at the club, now him and other notable stars have departed the club seems more attractive than ever to restore to its former glory!
I might not be able to get FM18 but I'm certain I'll be writing another team guide somehow. Looking forward to proving that taking over at the BayArena is still a fantastic challenge.

Problem solved... sortitoutsi's new data update finally decided to work but still isn't showing up in the Editor itself so I didn't know it was still active.
That must have been what was causing the issue.

I haven't tested it on other players yet, but if I try to put Nathan Ake back on loan at Bournemouth on the 17.3 update database, it doesn't work.
I'm assuming this might be because the 17.3 update has an edit that removes the loan and therefore overrides any editor data files that try to change it.
Shouldn't be a hard fix, the difficult part will probably be finding all the other loans (and possibly transfers) that weren't done properly in the update.

In short, this means that all data that changes for 18.2, 18.3 etc. also applies to 18.1, excluding personnel transfers of course.
The longer version, scrap the whole 18.1/2/3 stuff. Have a central database where you apply all the data changes i.e. updating a player's attributes, their recently-confirmed nationality or national team representation. This central database is loaded upon game startup, and THEN you load either the Summer 2017 database with the players and staff at their respective clubs, or the Winter 2018 database with the player and staff transfers made in the Winter transfer windows added to the game.
It can't be that difficult to implement, although I could be wrong. It's not a massive change but for some of us it could have a lot of benefits. Some of us want to play the default database to enjoy the game as it began, with the players each club began with. But some players' data hasn't been updated. One example I have myself is with Leverkusen, I wan to start at the beginning of the season without the January transfers applied, work up to January and sign Leon Bailey myself. But in the default database, his stats are massively worse than in the 17.3 update.
Anyway, let me know what you think, I value all feedback

I'm boring and tend to stick to my Bayer Leverkusen save, so don't expect much
Marcel Tisserand was recommended by a member of the forums as a strong centre-back for a German Bundesliga side, and so I decided to sign him as a bargain replacement to the iconic Ömer Toprak. He's become somewhat of a more successful Tin Jedvaj, supplying confidence and stability to any position in which I choose to deploy him along the defensive line. The most versatile defensive player I've had the honour of using in the game so far.
Karim Bellarabi has always been a good player to use. Usually deployed on the right wing, he can be used as an out-and-out winger to sprint past his man and whip crosses into the box, or as an Inside Forward to find space in the box as he does so well in the real world, finishing chances with the elegance of a poacher. However, after watching Leverkusen take on HSV in January and witnessing his equally-impressive tracking back and defensive capabilities, it was then that I had the idea to create a Victor Moses out of him. As if the game prepared for this eventuality, he has doubled up as a solid right wing-back in games that I choose to deploy 5 defenders (usually against other teams that use 5 defenders such as Dortmund) and continued to cover the entirety of the flank, whipping in those all-important crosses and tracking back to win the ball when needed.
Taking a break from Germany, Lewis Cook was the best player to grace my "AFC Bournemouth - Home-Grown Only" save back on 17.1 in the summer. Predominantly used as a box-to-box midfielder, I could play this lad with any teammate (providing it wasn't Harry Arter following their disagreement during tutoring) and against any opposition (except Tottenham who would usually ignore our recently excellent form and hammer us by 2-3 goals) knowing that he would come out with a rating above 7 (as long as he avoided getting sent off).
To finish, this game isn't short of OP strikers. When used correctly and with the right role and responsibility, some players will just guarantee you 5+ goals a month and that's something I've been fortunate enough to have on both of my main saves. So the last shoutouts go to Callum Wilson and Javier "Chicharito" Hernández for all the match-winning performances, especially the latter for attracting a crazy transfer sum at the end of the first season.

Haha no worries! If you want even more of a challenge then you can always try to replicate the success that Ludogrets, Rostov, Legia Warsaw, Krasnodar, Sparta Prague or Haopel Be'er Sheva have attained in the Europa League this year (although if you decide on the latter then I'd recommend going for Maccabi Tel Aviv instead - the goalkeeper's a charm, and the Israeli league is much more competitive than you might think!)
Europe is like a goldmine. If you play your way around the leagues, you'll end up with a favourite team in every country. Mine are United, Leverkusen, Torino, St. Etienne, Anderlecht, St. Truidense, Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb, Partizan Belgrade and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Go find yours

I was going to suggest Bayer Leverkusen but then I saw your criteria, so I would suggest Dinamo Zagreb, Partizan Belgrade or Dinamo Bucuresti.
All three have produced fantastic prospects i.e. Matteo Kovacic, Sime Vrsaljko, Zoran Tosic, Adem Ljajic, Andrija Zivkovic, Ionut Nedelcearu and Robert Moldoveanu. It should therefore be relatively easy for you to develop a team with the ability to contend with the rest of Europe.

@nightwalker22 Well yes, I did say "a signing or two away"
They don't lack anything that can't be developed, and being a young squad this should be easy enough for you to achieve. If I can gain success with the high press then I'm sure you can manage it!

@Jonny2J Probably, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. Leipzig already have the ability to be title contenders if played correctly and aren't in massive need of improvement. SI will most likely be sure not to overdo it and treat the club more like an in-form Leicester City. If you can wait for the update then you certainly should, but if you can't then by all means try out the club now and see what you can achieve!

Sorry but I don't agree with this for the most part. Youth are just as playable as in real-life on the game. I have a lot of success with United and Leverkusen, bringing through player such as Fosu-Mensah, Havertz and Akkaynak into the squad in the first 2-3 months of a new game. Havertz in particular is playable from the start and extremely impressive. They don't have attributes that match up to any of my first-team players, but you have to look beyond the attributes because they don't always show how well a player is going to perform. Take Volland as an example, his attributes are great but performs poorly a lot of the time.
The one area of this I agree with, is in terms of other clubs. Young players don't seem to develop anywhere near as well at other clubs, as they would if you had them yourself. I've had a mate play to 2020 and some popular youngsters in the game such as Rashford and Donnarumma haven't had a single attribute rise.

I've finally decided to take a break from my beloved Bayer Leverkusen and focus on RB Leipzig. Expect the tactics section to be completed soon.
My first impressions of the squad are that everyone seems rather versatile, which is impressive given the young average age. This leaves plenty of time for them to develop in whatever position you need. The players I've noticed so far are:
- Marvin Compper is going to fill in at left-back until Anthony Jung returns from his loan, or a better alternative presents itself. He's not brave enough, and lacks aerial ability, to make a decent central defender.
- Marcel Halstenberg can play as a left-winger, which suits him better as he lacks significant defensive ability.
- Stefan Ilsanker is being deployed as a central defender which isn't much more ideal than in midfield, but helps cover in for Compper and the unreliable Papadopoulos.
- Bernardo can cover for Lukas Klostermann at right-back as he does in real-life, but his footedness means he is better suited as a cover for Compper at left-back until a better alternative presents itself.
- Dominik Kaiser can play as a wing-back or winger on either side of the pitch. Easily the most versatile player in the squad.
- Timo Werner can play as a winger but I doubt I'll ever need another one.
Despite all these versatile players able to play as full-backs, a lot of them are left-footed so you might still struggle for a decent, viable right-back.
The players I'm looking at signing are Timo Horn, Bartlomiej Dragowski, Jannes Horn, Sebastian Jung and Johannes Eggestein.